Atalanta and Hippomenes were married and had a child. However, after winning the race Hippomenes had become lazy in paying thanks to Aphrodite, so Aphrodite decided to punish them.
One day the Atalanta and Hippomenes were walking past a temple dedicated to Rhea, the goddess whose chariot was pulled by lions, when Aphrodite suddenly gave them both a sense of desire. They entered the temple and made love, greatly upsetting Rhea, who in her anger turned them both into lions (note: the Greek’s believed that lions could not mate with lions, but only with leopards, meaning Zeus’s punishment would keep them apart). So it was that Atalanta’s bad luck after being married came true.